Japan’s premiere castle has revealed itself again in the town of Himeji, after years of hiding behind scaffolding. Himeji Castle, originally built in 1333, is regarded as the country’s finest example of prototypical castle architecture, and stands on a hill top park dominating Himeji town in Hyogo.
Designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1993, it has been in hiding since December 2009 when reconstruction work began – to the disappointment of thousands of tourists. As of May 10, the castle’s top section is being uncovered, though work across the main structure and outer buildings is set to continue until March 2015.
Japan’s premiere castle has revealed itself again in the town of Himeji, after years of hiding behind scaffolding. Himeji Castle, originally built in 1333, is regarded as the country’s finest example of prototypical castle architecture, and stands on a hill top park dominating Himeji town in Hyogo.
Designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1993, it has been in hiding since December 2009 when reconstruction work began – to the disappointment of thousands of tourists. As of May 10, the castle’s top section is being uncovered, though work across the main structure and outer buildings is set to continue until March 2015.
Structural repairs have been carried out using traditional techniques, including renewed plastering of walls, eaves and canopies of the upper levels, some of which had become damaged following the last major restoration work on the castle back in 1964.
Himeji Castle has been remodeled many times in its history. Founded in 1333 as a fort, it became Himeyama Castle in 1346, and then in 1581, daimyo Toyotomi Hideyoshi, built an additional three-story keep.
The first shogun of the Tokugawa shogunate of Japan, Tokugawa Ieyasu, gave the castle to daimyo Ikeda Terumasa in 1600, in the early Edo-era, and he then expanded the castle into a multi-faceted complex over eight years from 1601 through 1609.
Himeji Castle stood relatively unchanged for the next four centuries, during over half of which, Japan was closed to the outside world. Himeji town was bombed during World War II, but the castle itself survived.
The Great Hanshin earthquake of 1995, which measured Mj7.3 and hit nearby Kobe, killing 6,434, failed to damage the structure, which it the largest castle in Japan.
The most visited castle in the country can soon expect to welcome tourists once again, while its parks will host festivals throughout the year.
